Automatic firing device for ordnance.



' PATENTED MAR. 15, 1904. 7

L. OBRY.

AUTOMATIC FIRING DEVICE FOR OEDNANGE.

APPLICATION TILED SEPT. 1 2. 1903.

H0 HODEL.

flu-811101 WM 4/7. zfimzeg mam w. w. nu-umwn. c

. I No. 754,885.

UNITED STATES PATENT Patented March 15, 1904- FFICE.

i AUTOMATIC F'lRiNG DEVICE FOR ORDN ANCE.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 754,885, dated March 15, 1904.

Application tiled September 12, 1903. Serial No. 172,954. (No model.) i

To all 1072.01. 2, zit Truly concern: Be it known that I, Lnmvlu Onnr, engineer, of-Triest, in the Empire of Austria-Hungary, have invented cert-ainncw and useful Improve ments Relating to Automatic Firing Devices for Ordnance; and Ido hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make'and use the same.

Automatic firing devices for guns which, as described in American Patent No. 678,757, operate in. such a manner that the gun is fired automatically atthatmoment at which the axis of the gun presents the desired angle to the horizon are mounted, as described in American Patent No. 680,066, in such a manner that on the one hand they may be elevated relatively to the axis of the gun and independently of the same, while on the other hand they participate in the movement. of elevation of the gun. 1n the greater; number of types of modern ordnance this method of mounting rendersiit necessary that the apparatus should at the moment of firing he in complete positive connection with the gun-barrel or with a carriage participating in the movement of eleration, so that the recoil necessarily caused by the firing of the gun and other shocks are directly transmitted to the apparatus. Ex-

, perience has shown, however, that these shocks are highly detrimental to the efiieient opera- U011 of the apparatus, as the intervals of time elapslng bet-ween the successive discharges are insufiicient for the damping of the vibrations of the oscillating mass produced by the powerful shocks and, further, that in some types of ordnance these shocks are so violent that they may readily give rise to deformation of the various parts of the apparatus. In order to obviate these defects, the apparatus is not connected directly to the lever participating in the movement of elevating and sighting,

it maintains the firing device in a definite potime permits it when violent shocks occur to participate to a decreased extent in the displacement of the lever caused by such shock.

with this invention by providing a spring suspension or support for the apparatus, so that it is able to oscillate up and downward and around its point of suspension and is maintained in a definite position or brought back to such position relatively to the intermediate part by springs arranged in such a manner that these latter assume their position of repose when the apparatus has reached the lastnamed position- The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figures 1, 2, and 3 illustrate the mounting device in vertical and horizontal section and frontelevation. Figs. 4, 5, and 6 show a 5 modified form of thedeviee in the same wa Figs. 7 and S aretwofurther modifications. Fig. 9 is a horizontal view of the spring used in the modification shown in Fig. 8.

According to this invention, referring to Figs. 1 to 3. the firing device is carried by a spindle a, which is suspended in a conical casi ng c in such a manner that a strong spring h,

arranged between the bottomf of said casing c and a collar or flange t on the spindle (1, car: ries this spindle a, while a second spring 1?, arranged between the upper side of the collar or flange {and the coverof the casing, presses the flange against the spring I: first described. In order to permit the spindle, which owing to this suspension 'is able to move up and down withincertain limits, to oscillate laterally also, but to invariably return it to a certain normal position relatively to the casing c, it is carried through the ball-joint, maintained in the cover of. the casing 1:, and provided with a flange 1': of square or regular poiygonal shape. the sides of which come into contact with the ends of flat springs 1/, ar ranged upon the peripher of the conical casing 0 and resting on the same. The spindle a is therefore retained in its median position by f. the united action of all the flat springs and is but by the intermediary of apart which while. 5'

automatically returned to this position when from any cause it is displaced from this mc- '95 sition relatively to the lever and the same? n position- I r is displaced in any direction owing to a shock the tiring apparatus \\'\ll participate in Z this displacement to the extent to winch it is The desired result is attained in accordance E caused to do so by the counter-pressure of the 00 vice versa, owing to its elastic suspension.

" In a modified method of mounting, referring to Figs. to 6, the firingapparatus is carried bya stronger spring [1, working against a flange 'z' of the-spindle, while the smaller spring It, bearing against. the under side. of the ball-joint g, pres es the spindle 1.1 slightly downward in opposition to the action of the larger spring 72, so that here also the apparatus is only able to moveup or down by straining one of the two oppositely-acting-springs.

Obviously the flat springs (1 above described may also be employed with this arrangement; but in this constructional form they are replaced by spring-pistons '11, which act upon the faces of the prismatic portion of the supportingspindle a of the apparatus and are carried in cylinders 1-, formed with the casing c. The stroke of the pistons '21. is adjusted and limited by suitable nuts w.- In this case also w ien any shock is produced the pistons u, working in opposition to the direction of this shock, are pressed back and then react to a smaller extent upon the spindle (zand resume their normal position upon the termination of the eii'ect of the shock.

In a further constructional form (shown in Fig. 7) the spring suspension is obtained,.

owing to the fact that springs h and Ir act upon both sides of a piston s, sliding in a cylinclers, carrying the firin g apparatus 112.. Provision is made for absorbing lateral shocks by causing a disk 9, arranged on the upper extremity of the spindle p. to rest upon the bottom of a box r, which is attached to the part n. participating in the movement of elevation, this disk 1 being pressed against the flangeshaped box-bottom by a spring :0, bearing against the cover of the box '1'.

A laterally acting shock only affects the apparatus to the extentthat the disk q, overcoming the premre of the spring .r, acting against it, places itself-obliquely to the bot tom of the bOX-th?.i i -;,to say, rises from the same on one side-while upon a return to the position of repose the disk q, and with it the firing apparatus In, return to the normal position. c

-As shown in Fig 8 and 9, the spiral spring a: mayalso be rep ted by a star-shaped concave blade spring The points r spring restupon the aforesaid dish 1 a same eli'ect is produced as with the spring.

In order to prevent. any undesirabh tion of the parts. the square portion spindle p carried through a recta opening in the carer of the cylinder r pin c'is fixed upon the bottoin of the h engages in a slot in the aforesaid disk "Iclaim' 1. In a device of the character dos the combination with the liring dcvi-' spring-support for the same and cm]; oppositely-acting springs, acting at a to the length of said support and the tude of oscillation of whichis limited direction which corresponds to the p in the normal position. said springs to maintain szlhl device and to bring tl back to a definite normal position.

2. In a device of the character dc: the combination with the automatic lii vices, of a spindle supporting the sa provided with a flange having a rcgula onal form, a casing for said spindle springs mounted on the periphery of ing to act against said flangej 3. In a device of the character d1 the combination with the automatic li vices of a spindle supporting the st provided with a flange having a rcgula onal form, a casing for-said spindle springs mounted on the periphery of 1 ing to act against said flange and sp different power acting in opposite di on said spindle.

' 4. In a device of the character dos spring-support for the automatic li rice, the same comprising an cndwisc spindle a ball-joint for one end there sitelyacting springs of different pom on said spindle and means acting at to the direction of movement of thc for limiting the amplitude of oscilla direction corresponding to the pressu normal position.

5. In a device of the character d1 --the combination of an endwise-mova (lle springs dis ased to act in oppos tions thereon. and. means cooperatsaid spindle for absorbing lateral lr In testimony whereof I ailix my si Lunwio In presence of 4 OREsTFs Denna-rim, -VINCENT Bum-s. 

